Life as a Muggle
by flying-cars
Summary: Hermione and Draco are stuck in the muggle world for nine weeks at Hermione's house. After a tedious and unspoken friendship truce, will romance blossom with the help of Hermione's childhood friend, or will Draco remain the annoying prat he has always been?
1. Introductions

**Chapter 1: Introductions**

_"Humans have a knack for choosing precisely the things that are worst for them." - Albus Dumbledore._

"Miss Granger, I know you have had certain... troubles recently, but I assure you I wouldn't ask if it weren't absolutely essential." Dumbledore looked over his intertwined fingers at Hermione with sparkling blue eyes.

"What is it, Professor Dumbledore?" Hermione asked, looking at her Headmaster curiously.

"Please hear me out. The Order believes that Death Eaters and pure bloods alike are after Draco Malfoy. It's a likely assumption on my behalf that they are out to kill him. He needs to go into hiding for a while, and I think he will be safest with you."

Hermione seemed to deflate inside. "Draco Malfoy?" she repeated. Dumbledore nodded. "Oh Merlin."

"Remember, this is for his safety. I would only entrust his protection to you, Miss Granger. I know that you are capable of handling him."

Hermione thought about it. She didn't want Draco Malfoy anywhere _near _her, but Dumbledore seemed almost desperate.

_Think of it as a challenge, _her mind whispered to her. _If you can survive Malfoy, you can survive anything._

"For how long would he need to be with me?" Hermione asked.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Just the holidays."

Hermione gulped. "Nine weeks?" she exclaimed.

"I know you can do it, Miss Granger. I can assure you that his protection is essential. I will not have another death on my hands," he said. Determination shone in his eyes as he lowered his hands to his desk.

Seeing Dumbledore so passionate about this... How could Hermione say no?

"Okay, Professor. I'll do it."

Relief shone over his face. "Thank you, Miss Granger."

_A challenge that lasts nine weeks. In the Muggle world. With Draco Malfoy._

_Oh Merlin._

"Don't worry about me, Granger, I can look after myself," Draco snarled at Hermione. She bristled.

"I'm not doing this for you, Malfoy. I'm doing it for Dumbledore."

"What, did he bribe you with automatic O's for every N.E.W.T you attempted? Granger, I never knew you were so low."

"My reasons for doing this have nothing to do with you, Malfoy!" Hermione screeched. Muggles gave them weird looks, and not just because they were carrying animals in cages and had frazzled appearances.

"Now come on, I want to be home before dinner," Hermione snapped, leading him out of Kings Cross.

She lead the way to a deserted street not too far from the station. Draco was taking his time, carefully analysing everything he saw.

"What's this, Granger?" he asked, pointing to a telephone booth.

"It'll be your home if you don't hurry up, Malfoy."

Grudgingly he picked up the pace.

"Now, take my arm. We'll Apparate to my house."

Draco sneered at her arm. "I'm not holding on to you, Granger. Just tell me where it is and I'll get there later."

"Do you want to sleep out here, Malfoy?"

"Actually, yes!"

"Oh, for crying out loud," she snapped, grabbing his arm, holding on to him tight and turning, thinking of nothing but home.

Draco knew better than to wrench his arm out of her grip while Apparating, so he waited until his feet felt firm ground. Hermione glared at him and walked up the footpath to the door.

The garden was small but nicely kept. Daffodils lined the path. The door was a light brown colour.

Hermione opened the door and took out her trunk from her pocket, unshrinking it in the entry hall. "Mum! Dad! I'm home!"

Two heads appeared over the banister of the staircase on their right. "Hermione? Oh, my baby girl, you're home!"  
Draco could only guess that it was Granger's mother and father rushing down the stairs.

Mr Granger reached his daughter first, pushing Mrs Granger out of the way. This made Hermione laugh. Mrs Granger hugged Draco instead.

"Oh, you're a fine young man, aren't you?" she said mainly to herself, her hands roaming down Draco's arms.

"Thank you Ma'am," he said. Despite not wanting to be there, Draco was raised by pure-bloods and knew his manners well.

She left him to hug Hermione, who whispered in her ear.

"He's a good-looking man, Hermione. You never mentioned that!" Hermione had to roll her eyes at her mother.

"Mum," she groaned.

Mr Granger shook Draco's hand firmly. "Draco Malfoy," he said formally. "We meet at last."

Mrs Granger slapped his arm. "Stop it, Steve. You're scaring the poor boy."

Mr Granger grinned. "Sorry, Lisa."

"What's for tea, Mum?" Hermione asked, her stomach grumbling. Draco's was too, though he didn't dare say so.

"Sausages, dear. I suppose you both are starving?" They all nodded, Mr Granger included.

"Well, go get settled," Mrs Granger said enthusiastically, clapping her hands. "Hermione, show Draco his room and help him unpack. Tea is in thirty minutes."

Hermione nodded and headed upstairs, dragging her trunk behind her. Draco wondered why she didn't leave it shrunk.

"Are you're parents always like that?" he asked. Hermione nodded.

"Yep. That's your room there," she said, pointing to a white door. She opened it and left Draco alone.

She went into the room opposite Draco's, dumping her trunk at the end of her bed to unpack later. She lay flat over her bed, smelling the faded laundry detergent her mother used.

Hermione looked around her room which she hadn't used for half of her life. The walls were an off white colour, her mosquito net white lace. Her bed covers were an array of grey and silver, a black comforter at the end. There was a deep purple rug on the floor so soft she could sleep on it without complaining. In the corner next to her bed was a pile of stuffed toys; all furry and soft, none of that dodgy fabric.

Hermione Granger wanted the best.

Her closet doors stood partly open, which she shut quickly. The dressing table was completely clear, all her accessories were in her trunk. Sighing, she left and entered Draco's room.

Draco hadn't unshrunk his trunk yet. It was sitting on his plain white covers, a pathetic black square. He wandered around the room looking into the closet, the drawers. He sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the softness of the green comforter.

Granger must have told her parents what house he belonged to.

He looked at the table in front of the window, noticing the tall rectangular mirror engraved into the wall next to it. It had a thin black border. He stood in front of it, looking at himself.

His hair was ruffled, a startling platinum blonde. His grey eyes fit in nicely with his pointed face, despite the bags beneath them. His long sleeved light blue shirt and black slacks looked good on him.

Draco looked away when he saw Hermione's reflection there too.

"What is it, Granger?" he snapped. "I have stuff to do."

"Like what?" she questioned, flicking a switch. The room looked much brighter.

"You might want to use that every now and then," Hermione said easily. Draco glared.

"Shut up, Granger."

Hermione moved about the room, checking everything was in order. She waved her wand and Draco's trunk returned to its original size, the clothes folded themselves into the closet, and everything else found places in the room.

It looked lived in.

"I could've done that myself," he grumbled.

"I love being of age," Hermione sung. "Too bad, Malfoy. You have to wait... how long?"

"Shut up, Granger," Draco snarled. Hermione laughed.

"Tea's ready," she said as she left for the door. She waited for Draco to walk past her. Together they went down the stairs, Hermione keeping at least two stairs distance between them. The smell of sausages and pasta wafted out of the kitchen.

"Smells great, Mum," Hermione said, gesturing for Draco to choose a seat. He picked the one closest to him and sat.

Hermione sat opposite Draco, pulling in her chair. Mrs Granger placed their plates in front of them swiftly. Draco took a subtle but deep breath of his dinner. It looked delicious. Of course, it was nothing compared to the food the house elves prepared at his house.

"You're in my seat, son," Mr Granger growled. Draco almost glared at him before he realised he was teasing.

"Steve!"

"Sorry, love."

They sat at the table too, chatting away.

"Draco, if you wish you can choose a channel on the television," Mrs Granger said kindly.

"Mum," Hermione muttered while Draco shook his head.

"No thank you, Mrs Granger," he said politely. _Like I know what a tele-whatever is._

"Oh, I forget you don't... oh, I'm sorry dear," she said, looking very flustered. "Well, maybe we just won't watch it tonight." She picked up the black remote and pressed the off button.

"Hermione, Jade has been calling for the last week," Mr Granger said around a mouthful of pasta. Hermione was disgusted. "Don't talk with your mouth full," Hermione and Mrs Granger said at the same time. They smiled at each other. "And yes, Dad. I'll call her tomorrow."

He nodded approvingly.

"Good."

Mr and Mrs Granger talked loudly to each other across the table. Draco kicked Hermione's leg.

_Jade? _he mouthed. Hermione shook her head at him.

_Later._

Hermione had a feeling he would like her.

And that didn't make her feel too good.


	2. Jade

**Chapter 2: Jade**

_ "From this point forth, we shall be leaving the firm foundation of fact and journeying together through the murky marshes of memory into thickets of wildest guesswork." - Albus Dumbledore._

"_HERMIONE!" _Jade screeched, flinging the front door open. "_GET DOWN HERE NOW!"_

Hermione sighed and put down her book, a smile curving her face. As she left her room, Draco opened his door and followed her down the stairs.

"Be warned," she muttered to him.

"Why?" he asked, then nearly crashed into Hermione. Jade had barreled into Hermione to moment she had one foot off the staircase, yelling about how happy she was to see her .Jade leaned back from the hug and looked at Hermione in the eyes. "You have to tell me _everything, _Mia. Boys. Grades. Classes. _Boys!_"

Slowly, her eyes traveled past Hermione's shoulder and locked on Draco. She immediately calmed down.

"Jade," she introduced herself. Draco sneered.

"I figured as much," he said dryly.

"Who are you?"

"Draco Malfoy."

Jade raised her brows and looked at Hermione.

"Is this your boyfriend?" she demanded.

"Hell no," Draco snapped.

"Of course not," Hermione said at the same time.

"Good, because he's an asshole," Jade said flippantly.

Draco, miffed as he was at this girl, had to admire her blunt openness.

Hermione gasped. "Jade!"

"What? Anyway, we're going swimming now, so go get your stuff and a towel because I'm not sharing mine. Go!" She pushed Hermione up the stairs, forcing her to bump into Draco, who glared at the girls and stomped up the stairs.

"You don't want to make him angry," Hermione whispered to her best friend. "It gets ugly."

Jade laughed, flicking her long and luscious black hair over her shoulder. Her brown eyes sparkled. "Oh, Mia. I can handle him. I've had lots of practice with guys too good-looking for their own good."

Hermione sighed. "I'll get changed now?"

"Only if you don't want to changed behind a tree. I'll wait here."

Draco was digging through his trunk.

_When I'm of age, this isn't going to be any problem, _he growled to himself.

He walked silently across the hall and threw open Hermione's door. She was just finishing tying her scarlet bikini around her back. She glared at his reflection in the mirror. Draco was admiring her body and how good she looked in a bikini and jeans.

"Just _what _do you think you're doing?" Hermione demanded. Draco blinked.

"I need you to find my shorts. Can't find them anywhere."

"Why should I do that, Malfoy?"

"Because if you don't, we'll be here for the rest of the day."

Draco felt very smug as Hermione grabbed her wand. "_Accio Draco's shorts," _she whispered. Black shorts whipped Draco around the face before falling on the floor. Hermione was satisfied about that.

"Now put them on and grab a towel from the cupboard. And get out." She literally pushed Draco out of her room, handing him his shorts. She closed the door in his face.

_Boys, _her mind whispered. _Always perverts, no matter what._

She slipped some denim shorts on and a white lacey top before packing her bag. _Wand, towel, sunnies, hairbrush, wallet. Good. _Hermione put on her flip flops and went downstairs.

"Finally, Mia. Let's go." Jade opened the door and rays of sunshine burst into the entry hall. She lead the way down the path and into the street, skipping along the road.

"What do you think of her?" Hermione murmured to Draco as she put on her sunnies.

"Don't know why she would be friends with a bookworm like you," he scowled, shielding his eyes against the sun. His towel lay over his shoulder, his chest bare. His hair was almost shining as bright as the sun.

Hermione very subtly held her wand in her bag and waved it, transfiguring a piece of scrap paper into black sunglasses she'd seen in a window once. Draco looked them over, feeling their rectangular frames, and put them on.

"Gotta get some of these," he muttered to himself.

"Keep them," Hermione said quietly.

_"_Guys, come _on! _You're so _slow!_" Jade cried, turning around.

"Oh, shut up Jade," Hermione called up to her before picking up her pace. Draco continued to stroll at a leisurely pace.

Jade linked her arm in Hermione's. "He's cute," she murmured. "Especially in those sunnies. Without a shirt. In black. Oh, he makes me want to swoon."

"He's an asshole," Hermione reminded her. Jade shrugged.

"So? Come on, Mia. Give me the summer. He'll be falling for a girl in no time." Jade looked evilly at her. "And guess who the girl is?"

"You?" Hermione guessed.

"You, actually." Hermione stopped right in her tracks which caught Draco's attention.

"Come on, Granger. Pick up the pace. Or is your body not used to being outside and moving? It must be used to being cramped in a library."

"Shut up, Malfoy," she snarled. Jade grinned.

"See? You guys already have the love-hate relationship thing going on. How hard could it be?"

Hermione sighed at her friends' naivety. "Where are we going swimming?" she asked, changing the subject. Jade didn't push the topic.

"Oh, at my new house. See, Mia, while you were away at a _high class boarding school _that your parents won't tell _anyone _about, I moved! It's got the most amazing lake behind it, oh you won't believe it!"

Draco distantly heard Jade talking about a lake when he started getting bored. He wondered up to the raven-haired girl and slung an arm over her shoulder.

"So, I wouldn't mind if you showed me your bedroom first," he said slyly. Hermione blushed bright red.

Jade raised her brows at him. "Honey, if I let a guy like you into my room, you won't come out the same."

Draco smirked at her. "See, Granger? Some people do like my charm."

"Only people with no boundaries," Hermione muttered to herself.

"I heard that, Mia."

They continued to talk all the way to Jade's house, which was about a block away from Hermione's, and not once did Draco move his arm from Jade's shoulder.

Jade pointed to a two-story house set apart from the others. "That's mine."

The caramel-brick house was set upon a small hill, a thicket of trees on the left side in the distance. The concrete driveway climbed up the hill to a garage connected to the house. On the top floor a dormer window stuck out.

"It's beautiful, Jade," Hermione said.

"Just wait 'til you see the lake," Jade said happily. She led the way up the driveway and around the garage. It opened up into a wide garden, filled with flowers and trees of all kinds. They kept walking until the hill started sloping downwards. Jade pointed to a long body of water. "Isn't it gorgeous?" she exclaimed.

Draco and Hermione both nodded and they all raced each other down the hill. Jade quickly dumped the towel no one realised she had, shred her clothes and dove into the lake.

"Come on! The water's nice as!"

Hermione spared a glance at Draco as he dropped his towel, took off his sunglasses and bombed into the lake, spraying water everywhere. When he surfaced, his face shone with glee.

"What are you waiting for, Granger?" Draco called. "Someone to tell you that you won't get detention for being spontaneous?" He laughed at his own joke.

Hermione glared at him and gracefully took off her top and shorts. Carefully she stuck a toe into the water.

"It's warm," she said, surprised. She didn't notice Jade subtly move closer.

"It's even better when you're fully in," she coaxed. Hermione stuck her foot in.

"Too long!" Jade cried, jumping out of the water and grabbing Hermione's arm. Together they toppled into the water, a tangled mess. Spitting, spluttering and laughing all at once they rose to the surface, Jade smiling widely.

Draco looked on at the two girls, wondering what they had in common. A loud, open, gorgeous girl best friends with a quiet, loner bookworm? He tried to puzzle it out in his head.

Splashes of water came from every direction when Draco realised that a water fight had begun. He waded so he was in between the two and spun around, his arms wide. Water splashed into the air and into everyone's eyes.

"No fair, Draco!" Jade whined. "You're a buff guy, we're just weak girls! Give us a chance!"

"You're using one hand," Hermione told him. Jade nodded in confirmation.

"That's fair. Continue!"

The water fight raged on and even with one hand, Draco was beating them. He was barely wet but the girls were soaked.

"Mercy! _Mercy!" _They both yelled, shielding their faces from the water. Draco smirked at them and they disappeared under water.

Draco had a bad feeling.

Jade nodded at Hermione and they swam behind Draco, hiding from his view. Another nod and they grabbed at Draco's legs, pushing them forward with all their might. They resurfaced in time to see Draco's look of absolute terror and hear his shrieks.

"I think I take back what I've always said, Mia," Jade said conversationally as they reached the bank. Draco shakily followed them. "Just because a guy has muscle, does _not _mean they're manly."

Hermione erupted into laughter while Draco scowled.

"Like just because a girl is hot, doesn't mean she's worth it," Draco snapped at her. Jade's face went blank.

"Am I hot, Draco?" she questioned. He scowled while Hermione breathed deeply. She didn't want fights today.

"Who said I was talking about you?" he grumbled, drying himself off.

"You didn't need to, it was implied."

"What was implied?"

"That you think I'm hot!" Jade's voice rose and they headed up to her house.

"Pf. Don't get your hopes up."

"Wouldn't even _dream_ of it, Malfoy."

After a moment of silence, Draco slowed so he was walking next to Hermione. She wondered why he did that.

"Maybe you two aren't so different after all," Draco muttered to her. She laughed.

"Malfoy, you have no idea."


	3. Easy Going

**Chapter 3: Easy Going **

_"Time is making fools of us again." - Albus Dumbledore._**  
**

"Go upstairs, I'll bring some food and stuff up," Jade said, walking out of their sight. Hermione lead the way up the narrow stairs, using the wall for support. She kept her eyes on the white wooden steps as she climbed, determined not to fall over.

The floor opened up to a giant room with a queen sized bed opposite the door. Hangings of white and red ribbons draped over her wall in no particular pattern, stopping at her closet doors. A green beanbag rested next to her Apple Mac. The left side wall was half covered with books, floor to roof.

Draco and Hermione stood dumbfounded in the doorway.

"Move," Jade ordered, her arms full. They immediately moved into the room.

"It's gorgeous, Jade, it really is," Hermione said as she looked at the vanity next to the door. Around the edges of the mirror were photos of her and Jade throughout their childhood. They made her smile.

"What is _that?"_ Draco asked stupidly, pointing to the bookcases.

"Books, dumb ass. Have you ever seen them? Or have you just counted on your good looks to get you through school?"

"No, I counted on my parents' money," he replied distractedly. He was looking at the titles and soon realised they were in categories. The shelf he was looking at was obviously the classics. Jane Austen, Shakespeare and William Blake filled a shelf. The one under it had Draco confused. He didn't know what category it belonged to, though when Hermione joined him she knew straight away. Fairy tales. Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, Rapunzel, The Princess and the Frog, and many more filled the shelf.

Draco looked away in shock. "I thought you were halfway normal, Jade, but this pushes you off the scale! Towards the weird end."

"Hey! I take offence to that, Draco!" Jade said, sorting out the food on her bed.

"But... books! They're everywhere! Now I understand why you and Granger are friends!"

"Not just friends. Best friends," Hermione corrected him. Draco rolled his eyes.

"You guys hungry? Come and get it."

Hermione pushed Jade over on the bed and sat next to her, going for a bag of Doritos. Draco looked at everything, not recognising one thing, then settled for a bar of plain chocolate. It looked almost exactly like the Honeydukes chocolate to him.

"Your collection has grown," Hermione said to Jade. She nodded and smiled.

"Well, yeah. I've been to heaps of old book stores and they had a huge variety, so I grabbed everything I could. Mum hated me for it, but what could she do? I paid for everything."

Hermione nodded and made an 'mmm' sound. Jade looked at her watch. "It's nearly five. God, today's gone quick."

"We'll be back another day," Draco piped in. Hermione almost looked impressed. She had feared that Draco would not accept Jade because of her acquaintance with Hermione. However, Draco seemed to be full of surprises, accepting many muggle changes to his life without complaint. Perhaps the fact that people wanted him dead made him mature a little.

Jade brightened up. "Of course you will. Like I'd let you go away without seeing me again."

Hermione laughed and grabbed a bag of snakes. "Jade, we should probably go... you know how long it takes for me to walk, and my parents won't be happy if we're late."

"You leave those snakes here, missy."

"No!" Hermione cried.

"Yes!"

Draco snatched the bag out of Hermione's hand. "Sorry Jade," he grinned. He pushed one into his mouth and chewed it. It was delicious.

Muggle candy wasn't as bad as he thought it was.

Hermione and Jade hugged tightly. "I'll see you soon," Jade promised. Hermione nodded. "Of course you will. And if you don't, I'll scream!"

"I'll scream louder!"

They laughed and let go. Hermione slyly took a lollipop and forced it into her pocket when Jade turned around.

"You'll be good to her," Jade said sternly to Draco. He felt amused. "Or I'll come after you. You know I will."

"_Jade! I'm home!" _A man called.

"Oops, that's your cue to go," Jade said quickly, ushering them out of her room. A man with muscles the size of Draco's hand, from thumb to pinky stretched, was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

Hermione automatically went to hug him. "Long time no see, Jackson," she smiled. He lifted her up, spun her around and let her go.

"You too, Hermione."

"Well, I'm just letting these guys out, I'll be back in a sec," Jade said smoothly, pushing Draco and Hermione in front. Jackson's eyes followed Draco but he didn't say a word.

"_Who was that?" _he hissed to Jade.

"_My brother," _she breathed. "I'll see you guys another time, maybe," she said loudly. "And Mia?"

Hermione turned around and looked at her best friend curiously. "Yeah?"

Jade grinned. "You owe me a bag of snakes and a lollipop. Bye!" She closed the door.

Hermione sighed. "I knew she knew I'd taken one!" She pulled it out, unwrapped it and sucked on it.

"Why does she call you Mia?" Draco asked. Hermione laughed.

"My name's pretty hard to announce when you're two," she said fairly. Draco nodded, accepting this explanation, but Hermione went on. "I could barely write it. Jade couldn't pronounce it, and she couldn't say ''Mione' either. She said _Myah. _When she was older she changed it to Mia."

"I didn't ask for a life story, Granger," Draco sneered.

"Well you got one, Malfoy. Toughen up." Hermione shook off his sudden change in demeanor. It was so typically Malfoy.

Draco helped himself to another snake. It was yellow.

"Jade's a nerd," he scowled. "Like you."

"Yep."

"I was starting to like her. Now I have to mock her. Thanks, Granger," Draco said unhappily.

"Does Draco Malfoy _care _for a bookworm?" Hermione gasped.

"No. She's just fun."

"Didn't know that you knew what fun was, Malfoy, besides taunting, teasing, hexing and so on..."

"Granger, in case you haven't noticed, I'm trying to be civil. You could at least _try _to do the same." Draco scowled deeper.

"Yeah, I did notice that, actually," Hermione said kindly. "And I appreciate the effort. But some opportunities are too good to pass up."

Draco rolled his eyes, knowing all too well that feeling, and grabbed another snake. Hermione helped herself to one, bit into it and stretched it far away from her face.

"Best way to eat snakes," she said around the food. Draco looked at her chew in disgust.

"Do you know _any _manners at all, or have you been around Weasel too long?"

Hermione glared at him. "I'm nowhere _near _as bad as Ron, thank you!"

"Could have fooled me."

"You know what Malfoy? You can be a real ass."

Draco grinned at her. "And I'm proud of that." Hermione snorted.

When they reached home they automatically went up the stairs to their rooms, Draco pulling out his wand sadly. "_Just a few more days," _he murmured. He put it away in his drawer.

Hermione tapped her iPod dock in the corner with her wand and turned up the music loud so she couldn't hear herself think.

She lay on her back on the ground, seeing the sunset out of the corner of her eye.

"It's only been four days," she said aloud, but her voice got lost in the music. "59 more days to go..."

She stood suddenly. It was her one of her favourite songs.

_...You touched my heart, you touched my soul._

_You changed my life and all my goals._

_And love is blind, and that I knew when,_

_My heart was blinded by you._

_I've kissed your lips and held your hand._

_Shared your dreams and shared your bed._

_I know you well, I know your smell._

_I've been addicted to you..._

Hermione did a little twirl throughout the song before collapsing on her bed, her head dizzy. The door opened into her room.

"Your mother says dinner's ready," Draco almost yelled. Hermione quickly turned off the music.

"What?"

"Tea. Now," Draco said, rubbing his ears. "What's that?" He pointed to the dock.

"An iPod dock," Hermione said. Draco looked at her curiously. "A... radio?" He looked at her like she was an idiot. "A wireless?"

"Oh," Draco said. "Yeah."

"I'll show you how to use it after tea," Hermione said. "It's a must in the muggle world." Draco snorted and sat at the table. Since Hermione's parents were already seated, Hermione had to sit next to him. They quietly moved their chairs away from each other a bit.

Hermione was so close to her dad that he nudged her in the ribs with his fork. She looked at him.

He tilted his head to the left, a signal for her to move back around to Draco. Hermione sighed and so did Draco, seeing the signal. They moved their chairs back to their original places against their will.

"_Your whipped by your parents," _he breathed. Hermione elbowed him.

"Hermione, don't be rude," Mrs Granger said.

"But Mum," Hermione whined. "He was mocking me!"

"I don't care," Mrs Granger said sternly. "Be nice to our guests."

Hermione _hmph_ed while Draco tried not to laugh. She kicked him under the table, not hard enough to make him make a sound, but hard enough to hurt.

"_Son of a bitch!" _he whispered. Only Hermione heard him.

"_Don't mess with me," _she murmured, looking at her plate. A colourful variety of vegetables, mashed potato and steak. It wasn't very interesting.

"So, how was your day?" Mrs Granger asked.

"Good," Hermione and Draco said at the same time.

"What did you do?"

"Walked to Jade's," Hermione said.

"Then we swam in her lake," Draco added.

"And had a water fight, which Jade and I won," Hermione smiled.

"Did not, it was two against one and you cheated!" Draco said heatedly. He was a bad loser.

"We still won, Malfoy."

"Didn't."

"We did and you know it. Then we went into Jade's room and rested for a bit, ate some stuff, then came home," Hermione shrugged. "It went really fast."

"Didn't," Draco muttered under his breath, still ticked about losing. Mr and Mrs Granger went on to talk about their day and Draco was satisfied when he managed to flick a pea at Hermione without anyone noticing.


	4. Never Judge a Book By Its Cover

**Chapter 4: Never Judge a Book By Its Cover**

_ "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - Albus Dumbledore._

"So I touch this thing here?" Draco checked, pointing to the orange square with a music note on it on Hermione's iPod screen.

"Yes, Draco," Hermione said patiently. "Then you touch this one," she touched a music note, "and choose a song. It's really easy."

Draco scrolled through her music slowly, not recognising anything. He was nearly through the lot when he picked one randomly.

_The Memory _came on, which made Hermione smile. "Good choice," she said and plugged it in to her speakers. The music became really loud.

"It's slow and depressing," Draco scowled as he listened.

"Hey, you picked it."

He picked up the iPod again and chose a different song. _Party In Your Bedroom _came on.

"Better?" Hermione asked. He shrugged.

"At least it's upbeat."

Hermione choked on a laugh. "What's so funny, Granger?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Draco Malfoy isn't in my room commenting on my music, or anything."

"Pretty sure he is," he said obviously.

"It's just weird, okay?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Granger," he said, falling onto her bed. He stretched out comfortably. "You're weird."

"Oh, thanks a lot," Hermione sighed. She opened her cupboard doors and started pulling out different clothes, putting them against her body to see how they looked. _No, that's too big for me, _she thought, putting a deep red dress back.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked.

"I think... if I know Jade..." she said slowly, looking through her clothes, "That she'll want to take us out somewhere. Somewhere fancy. And I want to be prepared for that."

"You can't choose on the day?" Draco asked.

"Do you not know me at all?" Hermione asked exasperatedly. "I have to be in front of these things! I have to be prepared!"

"Okay, okay, calm down," Draco said quickly. "Just wondering."

Hermione ignored him. "Ugh, there's nothing here! I need to go shopping," she moaned. Draco looked at her in shock.

"You're kidding, right? Your wardrobe is _full _of clothes. There's got to be something here." He got off her bed and pushed her away from the wardrobe to find something and prove her wrong. Hermione looked on, impressed as he picked things out, put them back or just discarded them altogether on the floor.

"Here," he said triumphantly, holding up a dress.

"Green?" Hermione asked doubtfully. She touched the silky material softly, admiring the shiny peacock green colour and the one shouldered look.

"Try it on," Draco ordered, handing her the dress and crossing his arms.

Hermione sighed. "Really?"

"Yes. Now go." He pushed her out into the hall and she walked to the bathroom, stripping.

Draco waited on her bed, tapping his foot. He knew she would look nice in the dress; he had an eye for that type of stuff. No, he wasn't gay, he was just born with it.

Hermione looked at herself in the mirror, twirling to see the back. It stayed at the same height all around the top, the one shoulder thick and slippery, but it stayed. There was a puffy flower-looking thing on her shoulder. The dress reached mid-thigh.

She pulled her hair out and it made her look a bit more decent. She walked back to her room, opening the door carefully and peeking through the small crack.

Draco was watching the door waiting for her return. She sighed and pushed the door away from her, walking in and standing in front of her vanity.

"How do I look?" she asked cautiously, nervous when Draco didn't speak.

Draco thought, against his wishes, that she looked gorgeous. The dress didn't make her ass look big, as it would on most girls. The colour set off her skin nicely. When she turned around to look at him, he grinned. Her stomach was flat, her boobs shaped nicely, her hair in curls around her neck.

"If we ever go anywhere fancy, wear that," he said nonchalantly. Hermione squirmed.

"You don't think it's too short?" she asked, feeling very self conscious as he looked at her up and down. He shook his head and she raised her brows.

"It barely covers my ass!" she pointed out. Draco shrugged.

"So?"

"So!" she repeated, then looked at herself again. "I look like a... a... slut!"

"Compared to your usual clothes, yes, but you only wear robes. You look nice. Trust me, I would know." Draco sighed in frustration. Everyone always doubted his abilities.

Hermione bit her lip for a long time. _Okay. I look fine. Who cares if it barely covers my ass? So long as it doesn't show. _She finally nodded in acceptance. "I suppose it does look pretty good," she said, running her hands down her stomach.

Draco shrugged. "Told you." He got off the bed and looked through her wardrobe again. "Oh Merlin, you even have matching shoes," he grinned, holding up a pair of green high heels with thin straps. Hermione sighed and snatched them back, throwing them into her cupboard.

"Leave them alone."

"What? I was merely pointing out that you actually are a girl!"

Hermione scowled deeply.

"So how many girls have you had to help pick clothes for?" Hermione asked curiously, changing the subject.

"Just my mother. I wouldn't help anyone else; they're too... I don't know what to call it, but they're always like, _this makes me look fat _or _my thighs look huge in this. _It's annoying."

"Cause you have a good eye," Hermione murmured. She glanced at her clock. "Wow, today's gone fast. It's already eight thirty."

"So it is," Draco yawned. "Well, I'm off to bed." He stood and left quickly, closing her door and turning off her light. Hermione immediately stripped off the dress and slipped on some trackies and a singlet, flipping on her lamp.

_Merlin, I'm tired, _Draco thought as he collapsed onto his own bed. He fell asleep almost straight away, feeling a nice, easy sleep coming.

Hermione pulled out a little black book from her bookcase and a pen. She sat on her bed and tapped her chin thoughtfully.

_The book of Draco Malfoy? _She thought. _No, too weird. My holidays? Ugh, no way._

It took a while, but Hermione finally settled. On the first page she wrote, _Never judge a book by its cover, _in fancy writing.

She flipped the page.

_4__th__ day of the holidays spent with Draco Malfoy._

_He was kind of nice. Well, he was to Jade, anyway. He admitted to being civil with me, which was... strange. He hasn't called me a Mudblood all holidays, which I think is a new record._

Hermione noticed how over the place her topics were, so she ripped out the page and started again.

_Day 4 with Draco Malfoy._

_He met Jade and they hit it off almost immediately. They flirted a lot, though Jade believes he'll fall in love with me by the end of the summer. Yeah, right. If anyone falls in love, it'll be those two._

_He admitted to trying to be civil with me, which I greatly appreciate. I think it'll make these holidays much easier, for both of us. Maybe if I could hold my tongue and let good opportunities fly past, these holidays will be semi fun? I don't know. Maybe I'm hallucinating._

_I don't know if he's realised it, but he hasn't insulted me once yet. Maybe it's part of being civil? I don't know. I'll be listening hard to what he says, though, just in case he does. Then he'll be the Draco Malfoy we're all used to. Because honestly, this kind and new Draco is creeping me out a little._

_I never thought I'd ever say it, but having Draco in my house is kind of amusing. He's a sort of fresh entertainment, for everyone. Oh, there's a creepy thought._

_But I know Jade will want to know _everything. _What will I tell her?_

Hermione put the pen and book under her bed then turned out the lamp. Rolling over in bed she stretched and fell asleep easily, smiling.

When she dreamed, she dreamed of the sun, water, white and money.

When Draco dreamed, he saw cinnamon, trees, green and Hermione's house.

No one would mention it to the other, but they dreamed of each other that night.


	5. Curiosity

**Chapter 5: Curiosity **

****_"Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back." - Ben Jonson._

_Day 15 with Draco Malfoy_

_I wonder what he does while he locks himself up in his room. I've tried to convince him to come outside in the sunlight, but he always refuses. I tried bribing him with seeing Jade, but still he said no._

_Something's up._

_And I'll be damned if I don't find out what it is._

Hermione slammed her pen and book on the floor and stormed over to Draco's room, opening the door loudly.

When Draco jerked awake in fright, he looked at the clock next to his bed. It read 3:06 in big red writing.

"Stupid girl," he muttered, half asleep but rubbing his eyes.

Hermione had forgotten it was so early.

"Um, sorry," she murmured, looking at her feet. Draco scowled, even in the moonlight she could see. Hermione moved to close the curtains.

"Leave them open," Draco growled, suddenly right behind her. She froze.

"I'll j-just g-go, then," she whispered, sidestepping blindly. He was still behind her. "Malfoy," she whispered, almost desperately. Hermione was suddenly very frightened and very aware that bursting into his room was a stupid decision on her behalf.

"Be civil, Hermione," Draco mumbled.

"Draco," she repeated in the same tone.

"You're scared," he murmured, pulling hair away from her ears. "Why?"

"Because it's three a.m, I'm in nothing but a nightie and _you won't let me leave," _she breathed. Draco sighed and stepped away from her.

"Better?" he wondered.

Hermione shook her head and Draco wondered why he made her so uncomfortable.

"I'd like to leave now," Hermione said in a forcedly polite way. Draco gestured to the door.

"For future reference, Hermione, don't wear nothing but a nightie next time you come in here at night to find out my secrets," he warned.

Draco honestly didn't know what made him say that, but why else would she come in here? Besides, the look on her face told him that he was correct.

Hermione walked shakily back to her room, rubbing her arms up and down.

_Oh, that was scary, _her mind whispered. _I'm never doing that again. Ever._

She collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep instantly, not realising that Draco was listening at her door.

_Why is she so uncomfortable around me? _Draco wondered. _I didn't mean to scare her. _A part of him scoffed. _What do my secrets mean to her anyway?_

Draco crept across the hall, listening closely at Hermione's door. After sitting there for so long his legs cramped, he carefully opened her door. He immediately got on his hands and knees and searched everywhere with his eyes, starting with the vanity.

Minute by minute passed, and even when he knocked over Hermione's hairspray can she didn't wake. He started to relax a bit and was just nearing her bed.

Suddenly a light sprang into his eyes when he picked up a little black book.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Hermione said softly, holding her wand threateningly at Draco. He frowned into the light, not understanding the muggle saying.

Hermione held her hand out for the book which Draco handed over sullenly.

"Now get out."

Draco got up and left, his head down against his chest. He was disappointed.

"What's in the book?" he asked at the door.

"Nothing of importance."

"So you won't mind if I read it, then?"

Hermione glared. "Get out, Draco."

Draco sighed and went back to bed, no more thoughts of any book entering his mind.

Three days have passed since that night time incident which neither will forget.

"Granger!" Draco called, hopping out into the sunlight to see Hermione resting against a tree.

Hermione was torn between saying, _'Be civil, Draco,' 'Finally left your cave?' and 'Piss off, Malfoy,' _but ended up saying none.

"What?"

"Your mum said Jade called with a message." Hermione sat up straighter, trying to hide her book by her side. Draco noticed but didn't say anything.

"And what was the message?" Hermione asked.

"To be ready at six to eat. And to look fancy."

Hermione jumped up triumphantly. "I told you she'd want to go out!" she cried.

Draco rolled his eyes. "What's in the book, Granger?" he asked innocently. She picked it up quickly.

"Nothing of importance to you, Malfoy. Butt out." She frowned at him.

"Oh, whatever."

Hermione's quick brain thought of another topic. "So what are you wearing?"

Draco shrugged. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?"

Hermione looked at him up and down. He was in loose black slacks and a casual white shirt.

"She said fancy, Malfoy. That means you have to dress up."

"I'll sort it out later," he sighed, lying down on the grass and tilting his face up to the sun. It felt good on his face after the days in his room, staring at his wand enviously, counting down the hours until he could use it legally.

_Four hours to go, _his mind whispered. He grinned.

"Something funny?" Hermione asked. He shook his head.

"It wouldn't be to you," he said snootily. Hermione lay down next to him, at least three arms' widths apart.

"Try me."

"Four hours to go," he grinned, staring at Hermione's wand. She slowly pieced it together.

"Is today your birthday?" she asked in surprise. Draco nodded. "Oh, you should have told me! I could have got you a present! Mum and Dad will want you to choose tea! Oh!"

Draco slapped a hand over Hermione's mouth. "Shut up, Granger. I don't want presents. We're going out for tea with Jade, anyway, so I _will _choose my tea. And you will _not _tell anyone else, okay? As far as they know, today is just a normal day. Okay?"

Draco slowly removed his hand from her mouth. "Fine," she grumbled. He couldn't help but laugh.

"You're really peeved about this, aren't you?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "I kind of hate being friends with boys. Harry and Ron never let me do anything fun on their birthdays. And now you too. It sucks!"

"Believe it or not, Granger, I don't like a huge spectacle made about my birthday. Presents, yes, when I was younger, but not anymore."

"Why the change?" Hermione asked. Draco shrugged.

"I grew up and realised presents are nothing."

Hermione thought very hard about what Draco just said. She believed very strongly that presents were symbolic. That being born is something to celebrate.

She realised she had just gotten an insight into Draco's soul.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked uneasily. Hermione shook her head. "No reason," she said, smiling. She would keep what she just found out private.

Draco frowned and looked up into the sky. He's never seen the sky so blue. At the Manor, it was always grey and cloudy. _Huh, _he couldn't help but think. _She has it better than I do._

Oh, he was _so _keeping that thought to himself. He would never admit that she was better off than him, even if it was painstakingly true.

"Well, I'm going to go and get ready," Hermione said into the comfortable silence. Draco shrugged.

"See you in about five hours, then."

Hermione looked at Draco oddly. "Draco, it's four o'clock."

"Huh. Good to know." Draco hid his shock well.

Hermione shook her head and walked back to the house, refusing to wonder what it was that Draco would wear.

"GRANGER!" Bangs sounded on her door.

Hermione dropped her mascara on the vanity with a clatter. "WHAT?" she yelled back, eyeing the shaking door.

It flew open and Draco stormed in. "I need some clothes," he growled.

Hermione almost screamed. "I TOLD you, Draco Malfoy!_" _she yelled, looking at the clock. "We have fifteen minutes until six, and did I _not _tell you Jade always comes early? WHAT were you THINKING!"

Draco backed away from Hermione when she advanced on him. He held her at arms length.

"Relax, I just need you to Transfigure some clothes into something decent," Draco said calmly. Hermione tried to breathe deeply.

"And what would you like me to transfigure them into?" She asked in a forced but polite voice.

"Um, I dunno. Dress robes?"

Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Draco, you can't wear _dress_ _robes_ in the muggle world!" She strode over the hall into Draco's room quickly, wrapping her dressing gown around her tightly. She didn't notice Draco sneakily pick up the little black book she stupidly left on her bed.

Hey. He wasn't a Slytherin for nothing.

Draco hid it down his pants and entered his room, leaning against the door jam (and coincidentally, the book). He watched as Hermione dug through the cupboards, discarding the clothes over the floor.

"I've already looked," Draco drawled. Hermione glared at him.

"You need a _women's_ look," she grumbled. After a few more items of clothing were thrown on the floor, she made a triumphant noise.

"Wear this," she ordered, throwing him a black long-sleeved shirt. Draco looked at it with disgust.

"I'm not wearing this," he said flatly. Hermione put her hands on her hips.

"And why not?"

"Because I wore this yesterday, and it's too casual," he sneered. Hermione was very angry.

"I don't care, Malfoy. What is casual to you is fancy to every other muggle. They won't notice. And does it smell? No. So you're wearing it."

She strutted out, checking her watch. _Five minutes! _Her mind screamed. She slammed her door and stripped off her robe, dumping it on the floor.

Draco took out the book from his pants and quickly hid it underneath his pillow. "Hermione!" he called.

"_What now?" _was his answer. He smirked.

"You forgot my pants!" he yelled, now standing right outside her door. He could almost hear her sigh.

Hermione stopped slipping on her dress for a second. "What's wrong with the pants you're wearing?" she demanded.

"Oh, fine," he grumbled and went back to his room.

Hermione sighed in relief and zipped up the side of the dress, fixing the flower-like thing on her shoulder. Flicking her hair around her neck to keep her warm for the moment, she finished applying her make up, all the while trying to imagine Draco in the outfit she picked.


	6. Drunken Mishaps

**Chapter 6: Drunken Mishaps**

_"And now Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure." - Albus Dumbledore._

Draco sprayed some deodorant and buttoned up his shirt. Finding some black shiny shoes he had no idea he owned and putting them on, he stepped down the stairs to find Mr and Mrs Granger waiting for them.

"Oh, you look so stylish, darling," Mrs Granger gushed, her hands fluttering all over him. She smoothed his shirt and his hair which made his heart clench. His mother never did that to him.

"Leave him alone, Mum," Hermione said, smiling. Draco turned around to watch her descend down the stairs.

She almost glided, her carefully curled hair floating behind her lightly. Her pale skin looked ethereal against the peacock green. Draco could feel Mrs Granger shake with happiness.

"Oh, you look gorgeous, darling!" she cried, hugging Hermione fiercely. She patted her back softly. "Careful, mum. You'll ruin my hair," she laughed. Mrs Granger stepped back to look at her better. "Turn around, turn around," she encouraged. Hermione chanced a quick glance at Draco before she turned quickly, fully aware of just how high the dress was.

"It's a bit short, isn't it?" Mr Granger said gruffly to Draco, who stood statue-still. He didn't know what to say, so he kept silent.

"I think it looks lovely," Mrs Granger said. Hermione gave her mother a thankful look.

At that precise moment the doorbell rang. Mr Granger left to get it, while Mrs Granger forced Hermione to stand on Draco's right side.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were on a date," she said scandalously.

"It's not a date," Hermione said immediately. Mrs Granger waved away the comment.

"I know, I know."

Jade flounced into the room with her hair moving crazily. "Oh, don't you two look, um... dashing," she exclaimed. "Anyway, we should really be going. Hermione, you're going to want a coat," she added. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Wow, Jade. As a professional fashionista, I would've thought you would know that any jacket would look weird with this flower thing on my shoulder," she said sarcastically.

Jade sighed. "Fine. Suit yourself."

Hermione grinned and hugged her mother again. "We'll be back soon," she promised.

"Have fun!" Mrs Granger called to them, Jade pulling them out of the door fast.

"And stay safe!" Mr Granger added.

Hermione thought she was the only one who caught on to her dad's double meaning, but Draco's smirk tipped her off.

"When I said _fancy," _Jade was saying, "I didn't mean _this _fancy! But oh well, you guys sure will catch eyes..."

"You said fancy. You could have said dressed-up. Nice. Decently. But no, you chose fancy," Hermione informed her. "If it's anyone's fault, it's yours."

"Oh, whatever." Jade linked arms with the two and took a deep breath. "So, today is my sister's birthday." Hermione and Draco exchanged a knowing look.

"I didn't know you even had a sister," Hermione admitted. Jade glared.

"Neither did I," she said darkly. Then she brightened up. "But anyway, it's her twenty-first, and we all know what that means!"

"Alcohol?" Draco guessed when all Hermione did was sigh. Jade nodded.

"Yep! And they're letting everyone drink, so..." Jade let the sentence trail off.

"I don't think that –" Hermione began.

"I don't want to hear it!" Jade sang happily. "You _will _drink tonight, Mia. And you _will_ have fun."

"Oh, fine." Hermione sighed loudly.

"Yay!" Jade grinned widely. "Oh, I'm so excited!"

"It's just a party, Jade," Draco pointed out. They were reaching Jade's house then. They could see flashing lights and could hear booming music.

"Here goes nothing," Hermione muttered to herself before plastering on a smile.

Jade practically pulled the two unwilling people up to the door. Throwing it open, they were met with grinding bodies, loud noise and an unmistakable smell of sweat, alcohol and hormones.

Draco looked around keenly, while Hermione cowered at the door.

"Come on, Hermione. Have fun for once," Draco said, feeling utterly relaxed all of a sudden. He was used to party scenes.

He grabbed a drink off a passer-by holding a tray full. Taking a sip, he decided he liked the flavor, and downed it all in one go.

"Easy there, Draco, or you won't be prepared for the big round," Jade joked, her arms filled with cans. She led the way to a table and sat down, gesturing for them to do the same. She set up the cans so there were three each. Draco ditched his glass on the floor a few feet back before he sat.

"Whoever can down them fastest wins," Jade said fast, opening her cans. Draco did the same. He noticed Hermione hesitate and nudged her with his foot under the table.

"Come on, Hermione," he tried to encourage her. "Just one night I'd like to see you loosen up a bit."

_Yeah Hermione, _her mind said. _Loosen up. It'll be fun._

Deciding that Draco was right, she opened her cans and prepared herself. She held on to one can, ready to go.

"On three," Jade said. "One... two... three!"  
In synchronization they lifted their cans and downed them, almost immediately moving on to the next one. Draco thought that it tasted absolutely foul, but he dealt with it. Alcohol was alcohol.

He finished the cans quickly, he thought. He looked at the girls triumphantly.

Hermione watched Draco with amusement. She watched his facial expression when he realised he was the last one to finish.

"Wow, Draco. I thought that you were better than that," she smiled.

"Not all of us can unhinge our jaws like snakes, Granger," Draco sneered. Hermione snorted.

"I'll get the next round," Jade grinned. She stumbled up.

"Get something different," Hermione told her, studying her nails. "That was disgusting."

Jade shrugged and disappeared behind a group of teenagers.

"I think that there is a whole other side to you that no one knows about, Granger," Draco said honestly. "And quite frankly, I'm not sure if I want to be the one to see it."

Hermione laughed. "Oh, Draco. I don't think you have a choice."

Draco looked away, catching the eye of a tall blonde who was glaring at Hermione. It made Draco chuckle.

"What?" Hermione asked. Draco shrugged.

"A girl's glaring at you." He nodded towards the blonde, who looked away when Hermione met her glare with one of her own.

"Don't mind her, she's a bitch," Jade said, sliding back into her seat. She passed the cans around, but instead of counting like Draco expected her to, she held up a can in toast. Hermione joined her and Draco followed suit.

"Here's to Carlton Draught," Jade exclaimed, "And yet _another _night that we will not remember!"  
"Here here!" Hermione laughed, and they all clinked cans.

Hermione wandered around the party which was slowly diminishing. She saw Jade on the lap of an older guy and decided to leave her alone. Draco was... well. She didn't know, and quite honestly, she didn't care.

As she stumbled around, she caught the eyes of almost every guy. Eyeing off a blonde that looked super hot, she crashed into a wall and fell on her butt.

"Oh, ow," she whispered and blushed crazily. The guy gave her a funny look and kept walking.

Draco watched with amusement as Hermione stood and looked around to see if anyone was still watching her. Not seeing anyone, she continued to walk and check out every guy she saw.

He followed her and almost laughed at some of her advances. He never thought that she would be so funny drunk.

Drunk himself, he got very mad when one guy started chatting with her.

Hermione looked very happy, and that annoyed Draco. He knew the guy was staring at her breasts.

"So, you're a builder?" Hermione asked, playing with her hair and running a hand down his arm to feel his muscle. Grinning, he flexed for her.

"Sure am, little missy. Say, I haven't seen you 'round here before. Where you from?"

Hermione laughed at his accent. "Just around the corner," she said vaguely, looking up at him with wide eyes. His blonde hair came to his shoulders, his blue eyes had a dull look to them.

Hermione thought he was rather attractive.

He moved closer to her and started talking about all the building's he'd worked on, but Hermione wasn't listening. She was staring at his lips as he talked.

Draco glared and sipped his drink as he watched.

He realised that he was being stupid, but he didn't think it was all that important. Hermione Granger was _flirting _with an older guy. _Flirting!  
Oh, this will not do._

He sauntered over to her and slung an arm over her shoulder. Nodding to the guy she was talking to, he promptly ignored him.

"Mia, come on. I'm missing your charming company," he drawled in his best upper-class tone, pulling her hair away from her face and kissing her temple.

Hermione leaned into his shoulder and smiled. "Draco, I haven't seen you around," she said. Draco shrugged.

"So you lowered yourself to this level of social interactions?" he joked, but when he saw Hermione's smile disappear he knew he had said the wrong thing. "I saw Jade before, I think she was looking for you."

Hermione brightened up immediately. "Jade? Oh, last I saw she was chairing this guy..." She looked up at the guy she was talking to. "Actually, he looked a lot like you," she said with narrowed eyes.

He shrugged. "Twin brother, babe. So are you leaving or coming with me?"

Hermione started to slide out from Draco's arm without him noticing. "With –"

"With me," Draco said smoothly.

_Don't start a fight, Hermione. Just go with it. No punch-ons because of you._

Hermione froze her smile on her face and allowed Draco to put his arm around her again. She waved good-bye to him and together they left in search of Jade. When they were out of eye-sight, she turned on Draco.

Which was hard, considering he looked damn sexy and she was drunk.

"Draco Mafloy," she started, "No, I mean... um... Draco _Malfoy, _how dare you pull me away when I –"

"Was about to go have sex with a stranger?" Draco interrupted angrily.

Hermione bristled. "I was _not _about to go have sex with him! I wouldn't lose my..." She trailed off, blushing.

"Oh, _eeee_v'ryone knows you're a _virrr_gin, Mia," Jade slurred, coming up behind her and breathing heavily. "Wow, yooou wouldn't _believe _who I was just kissiiiing!"

Hermione looked at Jade in relief. "I was looking for you," she said, interrupting. "I think we should go."

"Well, I'm gonna stayy here, because thaat guy was _fiiine," _Jade grinned. She disappeared again and Hermione and Draco shared a glare.

They pushed their way out the door, stumbled down the slanted driveway and looked at each other again.

They were alone.


	7. Insults

**Chapter 7: Insults**

_"-yet, sadly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often. Best to say nothing at all, my dear man." - Albus Dumbledore._

_"Stupid bookworm!"  
"Slimy git!"_

Draco stormed away from Hermione. "You're just angry because you're drunk!" Hermione growled, loud enough for him to hear.

"You're all pissy because I pulled you away from that guy!" Draco retorted. "You realise he only wanted you for your boobs?"

"It's none of your business who I talk to!"

"You weren't talking, you were practically throwing yourself at him!"

Hermione gasped. "Why, you... you..." No words could describe how she felt, so she did the only thing her drunken mind could think of. She walked right up to him and slapped him across the face.

Draco felt the sting and glared ferociously. "You filthy little mudblood," he spat. He had half a mind to grab her hair and fling her away, but he couldn't. For two reasons.

His mother raised him better than that.

Hermione looked slightly scared and quite cute.

"You insolent little ferret, how dare you! I've been _so freaking nice _to you lately! And this is how you repay me?" Hermione was so astounded she didn't know what to say.

Draco's glare intensified, if that was possible. Continuing walking metres apart, Hermione and Draco didn't say another word to each other.

_Shouldn't have said that, _Draco was thinking.

_Shouldn't have slapped him, _was running through Hermione's mind.

_I hate being drunk, _was the thought they both shared.

Hermione's parents were in bed by the time they walked quietly through the door. They didn't even look at each other before they separated to their respective rooms. Although Draco stripped his clothes and immediately fell onto the bed, rubbing his eyes and praying for sleep, Hermione grabbed her iPod dock and waited a few minutes before creeping back down the stairs.

She set it up on the grass in the backyard underneath Draco's room window quietly, searching through her music for _that _song she always listened to when she needed a break.

"Aha," she whispered and touched _Who You Are _by Jessie J, putting it on a loop. Taking a few steps back, she started dancing a basic routine that she learnt a year or two ago in the summer.

_I stare at my reflection in the mirror  
Why am I doing this to myself?  
Losing my mind on a tiny error,  
I nearly left the real me on the shelf.  
No, no, no, no, no..._

Draco heard the music and wondered where the hell it was coming from. He gave up on sleep and looked out the window, seeing Hermione doing a flip-like thing on one foot. He opened the window.

_Don't lose who you are in the blur of the stars  
Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,  
It's okay not to be okay.  
Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart.  
Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,  
Just be true to who you are!_

Hermione spun around perfectly three times, not knowing that Draco had opened his window and was watching.__

Brushing my hair, do I look perfect?  
I forgot what to do to fit the mould, yeah  
The more I try the less it's working,  
'Cause everything inside me screams  
No, no, no, no, no...

Hermione's routine changed from easy and basic to hard and complicated, but she pulled it off with ease and grace. Her hair, dark in the night, flew around her.

_Don't lose who you are, in the blur of the stars  
Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,  
It's okay not to be okay.  
Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart.  
But tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,  
There's nothing wrong with who you are_

Yes, no's, egos, fake shows, like woah,  
Just go, and leave me alone.  
Real talk, real life, good love, goodnight,  
With a smile, that's my home,  
That's my home, no...

Draco admired her movements, how graceful they were and how much passion she moved with. Although he was worried about being seen, he knew that Hermione wouldn't look up so he let his emotions show clearly.

_No, no, no, no, no...  
Don't lose who you are, in the blur of the stars,  
Seeing is deceiving, dreaming is believing,  
It's okay not to be okay...  
Sometimes it's hard to follow your heart.  
Tears don't mean you're losing, everybody's bruising,  
Just be true to who you are!  
_

Hermione completed her last move and flopped on the ground, looking up at the stars. That song was her all-time favourite; she loved how it spoke about staying true to oneself and how inspirational it was.

Draco watched her pant on the ground and made a split second decision. He slipped on his black velvet pants and walked quietly down the stairs, through the back door, and sneaked along the shadows until he was behind Hermione's head. He ignored the biting feeling of the cold on his skin as he walked up to her.

Hermione could hear the crunching of grass but was too tired to care. She had left her wand in her room, anyway. When Draco's platinum blonde head appeared above her, she sighed.

"Come to insult me some more?" she asked wearily. He scowled, but said nothing as he lay down beside her.

"That was kind of amazing," he said honestly, thinking of how many other girls he knew couldn't do that.

Merlin, Pansy's best skill was standing in front of a mirror for hours on end to cover herself in make-up. And she still looked bad.

"You saw." It wasn't a question, so Draco saw no need to answer it. Hermione didn't see the need to worry about it, even though her parents didn't know she danced.

"Seriously. Where did you learn that?" he asked, studying her rose coloured cheeks, slightly damp hair, rising and falling chest.

"Jade taught me a while ago. She used to be a great dancer, but... she had too many commitments, I guess," Hermione shrugged, which was difficult as her arms were tightly crossed and she was lying down.

Draco was shocked to see a tear run down her cheek. "What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. She didn't respond. "Hermione?" he shook her, but still she didn't respond. "_Mia!"_

Hermione could feel her tears running, but they didn't seem all that important. But when Draco called her Mia; a familiar childhood name that only one person had ever called her... it pushed her over the edge. She burst into tears, moving into a fetal position.

Draco was at a complete loss as to what to do. He lifted her up and allowed her head to rest on his shoulder, tears falling onto his shirt.

"I'm... sorry..." she managed. "But it's... been... nearly twenty days... and... oh, forget it!"

Hermione allowed herself to blink away one more tear before sitting up and wiping her eyes. She slowly pulled herself together.

Draco watched her calm down with a strange relief. "Yeah, I've been here for twenty days, so what?" he asked.

Hermione fixed her gaze on him calmly, which was creepy considering she had been bawling her eyes out not two minutes ago. "Twenty days since you've seriously insulted me," she said.

Draco felt guilty; an emotion he wasn't used to feeling.

Hermione stood and wiped grass off of herself. "Goodnight Draco," she whispered, before picking up her iPod dock and striding away.

Draco was so shocked he didn't say a word. Cold wind blew that snapped him back into reality. He stood and looked at the sky; a shooting star flew past in his peripheral vision. He made a quick, silent, private wish (not that he believed in that sort of stuff) and walked back inside.

He crept up the stairs and listened at Hermione's door. Besides a soft rustling, he didn't hear anything so he went to bed.

In an effort to warm his freezing hands, he slid them under his pillow. His fingers touched a hard edge. Draco pulled out a little black book that didn't belong to him. Flipping to the first page, it wrote in neat writing:

_Never judge a book by its cover._


	8. The Other Diary

**Chapter 8: The Other Diary**

_"By all means continue destroying my possessions. I daresay I have too many." - Albus Dumbledore._

Hermione moved through her room in a slight panic, looking for that book. It wasn't under her bed, in her cupboard, on her vanity, in any of her drawers...

_Maybe it's in my laundry basket, _she thought desperately. Digging through it, she didn't find it. She sighed and gave up unwillingly, collapsing onto her bed.

Meanwhile, Draco had flipped to the second page. Being the Slytherin he was, he noticed the ruffled edge of a ripped out page, and he wondered what was there that Hermione didn't want anyone to see.

_Day 4 with Draco Malfoy._

_He met Jade and they hit it off almost immediately. They flirted a lot, though Jade believes he'll fall in love with me by the end of the summer. Yeah, right. If anyone falls in love, it'll be those two._

_He admitted to trying to be civil with me, which I greatly appreciate. I think it'll make these holidays much easier, for both of us. Maybe if I could hold my tongue and let good opportunities fly past, these holidays will be semi fun? I don't know. Maybe I'm hallucinating._

_I don't know if he's realised it, but he hasn't insulted me once yet. Maybe it's part of being civil? I don't know. I'll be listening hard to what he says, though, just in case he does. Then he'll be the Draco Malfoy we're all used to. Because honestly, this kind and new Draco is creeping me out a little._

_I never thought I'd ever say it, but having Draco in my house is kind of amusing. He's a sort of fresh entertainment, for everyone. Oh, there's a creepy thought._

_But I know Jade will want to know _everything. _What will I tell her?_

Draco read through the book eagerly. It wasn't quite a diary, but it wasn't a log book, either. It intrigued him, especially since it was about him and it was written by Hermione.

He found an entry that looked interesting.

_Day 13 with Draco Malfoy_

_I suppose... being unlucky thirteen and all... today should have sucked. But it didn't._

_Draco was incredibly kind to me today. He opened all of the doors. Pulled out my chair for me at the dinner table. When we walked around town, he didn't point out stupid muggle objects like he usually would. He just gave me a look, a look that clearly said '_That's a stupid idea'. _It amused me to no end._

_Could I be... no. I'm Hermione Granger. He's Draco Malfoy. It's simple._

_Besides, I'm stuck with him for another month, though this one's flying by..._

Draco finished the entry. It wasn't as good as he thought it would be, though it made him curious.

He skipped the next few entries and ended up on the last one.

_Day 18 with Draco Malfoy_

_Oh, this is a serious problem._

_Draco Malfoy helped me pick my clothes._

_I helped Draco Malfoy pick his clothes._

_Draco thinks I looked attractive._

_I think Draco is attractive._

_Oh Merlin, what is wrong with me?_

_I'm_

Draco looked around the page in confusion for the rest of the entry but gave up when it was obvious there was nothing. _Maybe she just didn't finish it? _His mind suggested.

Hermione jolted upright on her bed. She held back a yawn and stood quickly, immediately going over to Draco's room. It may have been four in the morning, she may have been sleep deprived, but she knew Draco would still be awake.

Reading her book.

She knew he had it.

Draco's door opened and Hermione strode in. He held the book close to his chest.

Hermione smiled at him and sat next to him, trying not to snuggle into his warmth. "Nice book," she commented, though it was mostly hidden. "What's in it?"

Draco shifted a little, making the book easily reachable. "Curiosity killed the cat," he quoted. Hermione grinned.

"But satisfaction brought it back," she finished, then snatched the book out of his unprepared hands.

She crossed her arms and stood for the door.

"I've already read it," Draco said.

Hermione stopped. "Too bad you didn't find my other one, then," she bluffed and exited the room.

Of course, there was no other book and Hermione knew that. She was just... well, she was blushing. No one was supposed to read this book but her! _Thank Merlin I didn't finish that entry, _she thought.

_Other book? _Draco wondered. He wasn't sure whether the Gryffindor was pulling his leg or not; after all, that house was all about truth and loyalty and all of that.

But with Hermione... Draco wasn't sure.

"Well, there's only one way to make sure," he muttered.

He vowed to search Hermione's room.

"Hermione, I need you to go buy me these ingredients so I can bake," Mrs Granger said to Hermione across the table. Draco was barely listening as he ate his perfectly cooked bacon.

"Mum!" Hermione whined. "It's raining!" Mrs Granger looked out the window and sighed.  
"No, it isn't, Hermione. But it will be if you put this off any longer. I'll give you the money and you can go, okay?" She walked away without waiting for an answer.

"You're coming with me," Hermione said as soon as Mrs Granger was out of earshot.

Draco seized the chance and immediately refused. "No I'm not." Her absence was too good of an opportunity to miss.

"Please?" she begged. "I hate going into Wal-Mart alone!"

"I hate going in there," Draco said flatly. "I'm not going."

Hermione was slumping in her chair when Mrs Granger returned. "Now, off you go, Hermione."

Dejectedly she slid off her seat and walked out into the dreary day, totally forgetting to take a coat.

"Draco, dear, if you wouldn't mind getting your dirty clothes and bringing them down into the laundry, that would be extremely helpful," Mrs Granger hinted. Draco nodded, swallowed his bacon and headed upstairs.

From his drawer he pulled out his wand. He waved it a few times and all of his dirty things landed in a neat pile on his bed. _Oh, I love magic! _

Hermione trotted down the road quickly, feeling the rain brewing in the air. She looked at the list in her hand.

_Flour_

_12 Eggs_

_2 cartons of Milk_

_3 small (or 2 large) Lemons_

_1 Palette of Strawberries_

Hermione sighed loudly but felt relieved when Wal-Mart was in sight. She picked up her speed.

Draco carried his washing down the stairs and placed them on the bench in the laundry next to the other clothes. With Mrs Granger no where in sight, he retreated back upstairs.

Hermione's door shined out at him. _Oh, might as well do it now, _Draco thought.

He entered Hermione's spotless room and sat on the bed.

_If I was a book, where would I be?_

What a stupid question.

"_Accio Hermione's hidden book!" _he murmured, but nothing came to him. "Damn. Old fashioned way it is, then." He started looking.

_Now, eggs...eggs... what would mum want? Oh, free range will do... Where's the flour?_

Hermione turned on the spot and walked down the aisle. Raw sugar, brown sugar, flour, self-raising flour, powdered milk... Hermione backed up a few steps and picked a white packet of flour. With everything on her list she headed to the checkout. A woman in her thirties was watching her curiously, which made Hermione uncomfortable, but she ignored her as best she can. It didn't help that she was following her to the register.

Draco had nearly turned the room upside down searching for a book but he had come up empty. He figured he better put it back to its original state, but he couldn't be bothered. _Hermione lied. _He knew, deep inside himself, that there was no book. He felt a little let down.

Hermione almost ran through the streets with her plastic bags because a little drizzle of rain was coming down. The sky had turned a dark grey and it made her uneasy. She may love the rain, but that didn't mean she liked being in it. Her house was in view when she felt the bag with the milk in start to rip. A petty problem, but it made her run. It completely broke apart on her front doorstep. _Curse you! _her mind muttered and picked up the now-shaken milk.

She opened the door and heard Draco moving about upstairs, the washing machine moving, the T.V on. She dumped the groceries on the bench with the change and stomped upstairs.

Draco heard her coming up and panicked. Her room was still a mess and he knew she would know it was him. He waved his wand and all her belongings floated about in the air before returning to their original places. He knew it would take a while before it was completely clean, so he quietly left and shut the door. He waited in the hall for Hermione.

When Hermione came up the stairs, Draco pretended to look up in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Hermione asked suspiciously.

"Nothing."

"So why are you against my door?"

_Shit, _Draco's clever mind yelled. "Missed your charming company," he smirked.

Hermione's suspicion was slowly leaving her when she sat opposite him. Their toes touched.

"That sucked. It started to rain on the way home. And the bags ripped."

"What torture," Draco grinned. "I had to give your mum my washing. That's gonna be embarrassing."

Hermione blushed on his behalf. "Been thinking of Jade too much?" Hermione teased. Draco shrugged and didn't comment.

Draco decided her room would be clean by now and stood. "By the way, you know that book you mentioned?" he asked casually.

"What about it?" Hermione asked.

"It'd be nice if I could read it." He flashed a charming grin at her then went into his room.

"Why don't you steal it, like you did the other one," Hermione muttered as his door closed.

Draco heard her and had to hold back a laugh.


	9. That Pesky Word

**Chapter 9: That Pesky Word**

_"Fear of a name increases fear of a thing itself." - Albus Dumbledore._

_Day 32 with Draco Malfoy,_

_Jade was right. Oh, was she ever._

_Enough said._

Hermione placed her pen in between the pages and shut it, lying back on the grass. Her skirt moved slightly in the breeze but she didn't worry.

Jade had come over a few days previously with gifts (an assortment of chocolates, lollies, stuff like that). And it was...

Well, she had found the book.

Enough said there too.

_"I told you that you guys would fall in love by the end of the summer," she said joyously._

_"Jade, we aren't in love!" Hermione said exasperatedly. "He doesn't feel the same."_

"How do you know, have you asked him?" Jade fixed her gaze on her.

_"No."_

"Then there's hope."

"But Jade, I don't even know if I want _to be in love with him! My friends won't accept him, he's slept with half of the girls in our year, and... and..."_

"And?" Jade asked testily. Hermione flopped back on her bed.

_"And, I don't know!"_

_Jade moved and lay next to her, twirling a piece of hair around her finger. "I can find out, if you want," she offered._

_"No!" Hermione said immediately._

_"Whatever. You'll see, Hermione. He'll be kissing you in no time."_

_Draco had leaned back from Hermione's door and walked away silently, grinning._

Hermione sighed. She'd actually taken to limiting her time with Draco, for some reason. She just felt uncomfortable around him now.

Especially since... she felt...

Since she was in love with him.

Draco watched her from his window. From this distance, she looked ethereal. Dark hair against pale skin. A dark skirt below a red top.

Gorgeous.

He sighed and sat down on the floor, his arms around his knees loosely. Hermione Granger. 'Mione Granger. Mia Granger. The girl he was in love with.

He had no clue how it happened, when it happened, or why. But it did. He just accepted that that was the way love happened without question.

And truthfully, he didn't want the holidays to ever end.

Jade's house stood tall and slightly imposing on the hill as Draco walked up to it. He had no idea why he was doing this; he just felt that he should.

He rang the doorbell and waiting nervously for an answer. He heard light footfalls inside and almost felt relieved until a knot of nervousness tied itself around his stomach.

Jade opened the door and her face broke out into a smile. "Draco, come on in," she greeted happily, waving him inside. He strode in and waited for her to shut the door.

"Where's Mia?" she asked, leading him into the lounge room. Cream leather couches surrounded a really big T.V with a low glass table in the centre.

"Reading a book somewhere," Draco said. Jade accepted this explanation.

"So what brings you here?" she asked with an unashamed knowing glint in her eyes.

"I think you already know what," Draco said dryly. Jade grinned.

"I so knew it. You love her, don't you?" she asked. Draco scowled.

"I don't... you know... I just..."

"Have big, important, warm and fuzzy feelings for her," Jade interrupted, waving her hand. "That's what we call love, Draco. Say it back."

"No," he said stubbornly. _It's a silly word anyway. And the first time I say it out loud is not going to be in a ruddy conversation with Jade as she laughs at me._

She tucked her feet underneath her. "You've never been in love before, have you?"

Draco frowned and glared at her for a moment before shaking his head.

"Oh, honey, then you've come to the right place!"

He sighed. "So I'm guessing you've got loads of experience with this stuff?"

Jade shrugged modestly. "I've been in love a few times. In and out of relationships. If you call that experience, then yes."

Draco looked out of the window shyly. "I guess I... Merlin help me... I don't know what to do."

"The first step is telling her," Jade soothed him. "That's the hardest part."

He turned his head back to look at her. "No fucking shit?"

"Yes fucking shit."

"Well, it's not as easy as you make it sound, Jade. I can't just go up to her and say, '_Oh, Mia, by the way, I have warm and fuzzy feelings for you, hope you don't mind.'_" Draco snorted at the ludicrousness of it.

Jade raised her brows at him. "Maybe shorten that down a bit, tell her you love her and all." Draco looked away from her eyes. "The results might surprise you," she pointed out. Draco sighed.

"I'm not doing that."

Jade shrugged. "So just kiss her. She's smart enough to get the message."

Draco gave her a sideways glance. "You think that'll work?"

"Why would I say it if I thought it wouldn't?" Jade grinned at him. "So, are you going to get her roses?"

Draco jolted. He'd never given flowers to any girl before. "Why would I do that?" he demanded.

"Because every girl loves flowers!" she cried, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Maybe the next day..." he considered. Jade rolled her eyes, shook her head, but didn't comment.

"Although I don't think you need me to say this, I'll say it anyway. Don't just run up to her and declare your love. It'll creep her out. Ease into it, okay? Make her comfortable."

"That's kind of hard, seeing as she's been avoiding me," Draco growled. He didn't like it when people he liked did that.

Jade smiled. "Have you even _wondered _why she was doing that?" Draco slouched and shook his head. "Well, when you figure it out, let me know. Oh, and tell Mia that she's coming around here again, with or without you, I don't care. I want to see my best friend one more time."

"Will do."

"Good."

Jade glanced at the antique clock on the wall, which read 1:30. She grimaced. "Right, well, I've got netball in an hour, so if you don't mind..."

Draco took the hint and nodded, standing. Jade walked him to the door and opened it for him.

"And Jade?" he said just outside the door. She looked at him questioningly. "Thanks, I guess," he muttered, looking at his shoes.

"Oh honey, any time." He could practically hear her grin. "Bye, Draco."

He was grinning as he walked away.

Hermione was pacing in his room impatiently. She came upstairs, thinking he was still asleep, but when she entered loudly she found his bed empty. She was worried because he didn't leave a note or anything behind.

She'd been pacing for what felt like hours, only leaving for the toilet and lunch.

For some reason, the smell of his room comforted her. So that was where she stayed until he showed up at two.

"Where have you been?" she demanded as soon as he put one foot through the door.

The door shut loudly.

"Jade's," he murmured, leaning against the door. Hermione came up to him and poked his chest.

"I was _so –" poke, "_worried about you, and did you –" _poke, "think _to leave a note or –" _poke, "anything _to let me know where you were?" Now she thumped his chest with her fist.

"But I knew I was safe," Draco shrugged.

"Well, so long as you knew," she snapped sourly.

Draco smirked. "Why were you so worried, Mia?"

"Because..." she faltered. "I feel that... you're my responsibility... while you're here."

His smirk grew. "I can look after myself."

"It's a woman's instinct to protect the ones she cares about," Hermione said.

"You care about me?" Draco asked with raised eyebrows.

Hermione knew she was digging herself into a very big hole.

"I... well, yes, of _course_ I do... I mean, I've spent every day for over a month with you."

Draco grinned at her. "Well, it's nice that you noticed."

Hermione's eyes surveyed him carefully. "So where were you?"

He shrugged. "At Jade's. She wants you to come over again, by the way."

"And why were you at Jade's?"

"Am I not allowed to see a friend?" Draco asked.

Hermione pouted. "Yes," she mumbled. "I guess so."

Draco put a finger underneath her chin and tilted her face up. "Don't pout," he said quietly. "It'll give you wrinkles."

"I won't get –" Hermione started to argue, but she didn't get very far because Draco's lips were suddenly on hers.

And it was heaven, for both of them.


	10. Changes

**Chapter 10: Changes**

_"You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be." - Albus Dumbledore._

"I think I could get used to this," Hermione admitted as they lounged beneath an oak in her yard. Draco stroked her hair away from her face.

"Mmm, I suppose so," he said quietly. Hermione couldn't help but sigh. "What is it?" Draco asked.

"It's depressing," Hermione warned. Draco shrugged. "It's just... well, we're going back to school soon."

Draco didn't say anything for a long time. He was trying to see what she was getting at. "So?"

Hermione sat up. "So, that means that we can't, well, we can't even _talk_ without looking weird," she told him.

"Sure we can," Draco soothed her, pulling her back down against his chest. Hermione shook her head.

"No one would accept it. Your parents definitely wouldn't."

"Who cares about them? It's our life, Mia. We can do what we want."

"How did this change come on? I thought your parents' word meant everything to you."

Draco was silent while he thought. "It changed when I realised how much I wanted you with me, always."

Hermione's heart felt like it would explode with happiness. She snuggled into his arms. "You know Draco, I've hated you since I met you, but... turns out all I needed was a summer with you."

Draco smirked. "It sounds like you wished it happened earlier."

"Oh, I don't think I could've survived a holiday with you before now," Hermione murmured, smiling. "You're way too spoilt."

"Hey, I am not. You're more spoiled than I am."

"That's not what you've always said."

Draco felt slightly guilty about that, but since her tone was light he didn't let it affect him too much.

"We'll take it as it comes, okay?" Draco murmured, his lips brushing her cheek. It made her shiver in pleasure.

"Sounds like a plan," she whispered, turning her head around to kiss him.

_Last Day of Summer with Draco,_

_Best holidays ever. Draco, Jade and I... I will never forget this. I've never been happier, and it's all thanks to him._

_Who would've known?_

"I can't believe I won't see you for another year," Jade sniffed, tears running down her cheeks.  
"We do this every year, Jade," Hermione reminded her, but tears were on her face too.

"But it never gets any easier!" she cried, wrapping her arms around Hermione tightly.

Draco watched the two say goodbye with a sort of amusement. He was sad to leave Jade behind too, but you didn't see him crying.

Jade reluctantly let go of her best friend. "Draco," she sniffed. "You'll be good to her," she warned. Draco was reminded of the first time she said that, and grinned.

"Always," he promised, and hugged her. Jade erupted into tears again.

"Oh, Jade, I'll come home for Christmas," Hermione said almost desperately.

"No you won't. You always say that, but you never do. But you _will _write to me. Okay?" Jade looked at Hermione defiantly.

She nodded and they hugged one last time, Hermione checking her watch behind Jade's back.

"Okay, well, we really need to go," Hermione said regretfully. Jade nodded.

"I love you both," she said.

Draco grinned. "Which is odd, since I seem to remember you calling me an ass when we first met..." Hermione hit his shoulder.

"You are an ass, I just happen to love you anyway," Jade laughed.

"We'll both write you, won't we _Draco?" _Hermione emphasised. Draco groaned silently but nodded. "Bye!" Hermione smiled and sadly got into her parent's car. Draco sat next to her and together they waved goodbye to Jade, who was steadily crying.

"I'll miss her," Draco told Hermione quietly. She nodded.

"So will I. But I'm glad we're going back. I've missed school."

"You know it won't be the same?" Draco asked. Hermione nodded.

"Yeah, but I also know it's going to be great. You, me, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna... all together as one happy family." Draco could hear her doubt and put an arm around her, squeezing.

"And Blaise. But they'll deal with it, cause they love you. Though I have my doubts about Weasel."

Hermione couldn't help herself; she laughed.

"Excited for school?" Mrs Granger called to them. They both chorused their yes'es they continued talking all the way to King's Cross. The Granger's helped them load their stuff onto trolley's and left them to get onto the platform themselves. Although their goodbye was no where near as teary as Jade's, Draco knew he would miss them. His own parents could not compare.

Hermione felt a knot of nervousness in the pit of her stomach as she walked through the barrier to Platform 9¾. Draco was right behind her the whole way.

"'Mione!"

"Hermione!"

"I've missed you so much!"

Hermione was surrounded by red hair and a raven haired boy all shouting her name. "Guys, come on," Hermione laughed, "Let me put my stuff on the train, then we can talk."

Draco had already left her to get reacquainted with her Gryffindor friends, so he was free of his belongings. He wandered around the steamy platform looking for Blaise, but he found Draco first and tapped him on his shoulder.

Draco looked up at Blaise (he'd grown a few inches over the summer) and grinned. They gave each other a manly hug and started talking.

"So she didn't hex you to the next century, then?" he asked casually.

"Obviously not."

"Do anything fun?"

"Snogged."

"Sounds pretty fun to me."

"Yeah. There she is," Draco gestured, almost smiling because his and Blaise's conversation style was something he'd missed.

Hermione felt his eyes on her so she turned her head and locked eyes with him, smiling.

"'Mione, who are you smiling at?" Ronald asked nosily, looking over her shoulder. But of course, the steam had covered Draco's face.

"My boyfriend," Hermione murmured, but no one heard because the train whistled, signalling that it was about to leave. Together, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione waited in line to get on the train.

Draco stood in line behind Hermione and tugged lightly on her hair. She lightly turned her head in his direction.

"Sit with me," he murmured. She nodded but followed her friends onto the train.

Draco found an empty compartment with Blaise and waited impatiently for Hermione. Blaise could sense his mood and decided to stay quiet since he was out of smart-ass comments.

"Tell us about your holidays, 'Mione," Harry said around some _Droobles_.

Hermione had forgotten that they didn't know Draco had stayed with her.

"Draco came over, and speaking of, I promised I'd sit with him," Hermione said politely. She then excused herself and, almost laughing at their shocked faces, left to find Draco's compartment.

Helpfully, he'd chosen one only three down from hers. She slid the door open and stepped inside, closing it with a bang. Blaise grinned at her.

"Hey," he greeted. Hermione smiled nervously at him and sat next to Draco. He winked at her.

"Ignore him, he's an idiot," Draco said easily. Blaise gasped.

"That was rude. Granger, you should slap him for being so rude."

Hermione looked at Draco doubtfully. "No way, he'd squish me in an instant. Have you _seen _his muscles?"

Blaise grinned and didn't answer.

Slinging an arm around her shoulder, Draco asked her, "How did you get away?"

"Ever heard of the element of surprise?" Hermione asked. "Yeah, well, it makes a good getaway. Their faces... wow."

"I don't think I even want to know," Draco said quietly. Hermione giggled and shook her head.

"I'm going to leave you two lovebirds alone," Blaise said smoothly before leaving. On the other side of the door he raised his brows at Draco suggestively, which made him roll his eyes.

"Did you tell him?" Hermione asked curiously. Draco shook his head.

"No, but he's smart enough to figure it out after I told him we snogged."

Hermione sighed. "Smooth."

"That's me."

She leaned into his shoulder and he wrapped his other arm around her, hugging her tightly. She welcomed his warmth.

"This is going to be so weird," Hermione said, mainly to herself.

"If it makes it easier, we could break up and no one would ever know," Draco offered, but his entire heart was hoping she'd say no.

"I'd never look at you the same if we did," Hermione admitted. Draco shrugged.

"It's cause I'm sexy," he explained. "And since you've had me all to yourself for nine weeks..." he let the sentence trail off while Hermione laughed.

"If you say so," she said once she calmed down.

They sat like that for the train ride, Harry and Ron walking past once but not looking in.

Draco was playing with Hermione's fingers when the door slid open. Ginny flounced in and sat opposite Hermione, ignoring her position. "What's going on?" she asked immediately. Hermione frowned at her.

"Isn't it obvious?" she snapped. Then she blushed. "I'm sorry, that was rude of me."

"Hermione, we've been waiting for you all day. We've been so excited, and Ron... well, never mind him. But Hermione! We're your best friends! And you're here sitting with, um, Malfoy." Ginny looked uneasily at him then turned her attention back to Hermione.

"Okay, let me explain. Draco stayed at my house for the summer. We became friends. Now we're together. Okay?" Hermione looked pleadingly at her best girl friend.

Ginny sighed. "Oh, they will _not _like this... You'd better be prepared for some serious shit, Hermione Granger," Ginny said seriously.

Hermione shrugged and pulled Draco's arms around her tighter. "For now, Ginny, I'm just focusing on the now. And right now, I'm very happy."

Ginny made an _Oh, I don't know, _look and slid open the doors, muttering to herself. "They aren't going to like this one bit, no they won't." She was closing the door when she stuck her head in.

"And Malfoy?"

Draco looked up questioningly. "What?"

"You hurt her, and I'll Bat-Bogey hex you." She shut the door.

"Why does everyone think I'll hurt you?" Draco wondered.

"Because you've never liked me, always insulted me, are a pure-blood and I'm a muggleborn, which you've always oh-so-kindly reminded me, are a Slytherin and –"

"Alright, I get it," Draco interrupted. Hermione smiled angelically up at him.

"I love you, Hermione," he murmured, then looked out of the window into the night sky. It was the first time he'd ever said that to a girl and he felt embarrassed. He noticed it was a half-moon. Hermione's breath hitched in her throat because it was the first time any boy had ever said that to her. Her mind began to panic because she didn't know what to say; did she say thank you? Or maybe, I know?

Then, the answer came easily to her lips.

"I love you too, Draco."

* * *

A/N: That's it, hope you enjoyed reading. This was the first story I ever wrote for this pairing and it's a lot better than it was, so don't be too harsh in your reviews!


End file.
